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Lice!

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katie-elizabeth

katie-elizabeth

Adult Guinea Pig
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Arghh, I've just seen a couple of tiny white bugs crawling on Alfie, which I assume is lice? I'm also assuming Joey will have them too.
I am going to order some lice'n'easy to hopefully get rid of them.
Where would they have come from, their hay?
 
Have a good luck around the rump area. Part the hair and look at the roots. If you see little bugs moving it'll most likely be moving lice which can be treated with lice shampoo.

They are seen more easily on certain coloured pigs and in my experience they favour the longer haired pigs if you have a pair or group with a long hair you may find more on the long haired one.

They can come from the hay or from contact with infested pigs also. You would need to treat both pigs as they are easily transferred from pig to pig.

If your unsure what you are dealing with better to get a vet to diagnose before you commence any treatment.
 
Thanks for replying - that's how I found them, by parting his hair, they are definitely moving which is why I thought lice, I'm just unsure how they got them in the first place, reading the guinea lynx website it says that lice can't come from hay or bedding :hmm:
 
I have just read the guinea lynx site. It says it doesnt come from hay or bedding but the sentance above says it can come from contaminated bedding.

How long have you had your pigs? Have they been in contact with any other pigs? Or have you been uin contact with other pigs, ?
 
Ahh, so it does, thank you.
I've had them three months now. I haven't been in contact with any other pigs and neither have they, so it must be their hay then... :(
 
It may have been contaminated possibly? I would chuck it to be safe!

I wouldnt worry too much as they are easily shifted. I got two new girls to bond with my existing girl a while back now and they came with a "free gift" of moving lice. They are very easy to shift. You need to do three baths one week apart with lice shampoo. I have used lice and easy before and also lyclear creme rinse both work well!
 
Unless it's possible they've had lice since I got them? But surely they would have been scratching excessively if they'd had them that long?
Thanks I'll order something now and get them bathed asap, first time bathing guinea pigs wish me luck! :eek:
 
It is possible there may have only been a few to start so went unnoticed! Either way the main thing is to treat them I would throw the hay as a precaution. After each shampoo session ensure that the cage is throughly cleaned with a good vet disinfectant such as F10 or virkon which can be bought from the internet. Pet shop disinfectants arent as good.

If you have any material bedding or cosies / beds these need to be washed at high temperature too!
 
You just use it like any normal shampoo, but once they are all lathered up, leave them for 10 mins before rinsing. You'll need to repeat the shampooing once a week for three weeks total to be sure you've killed any lice that are just about to hatch. I bath my pigs in the shower. Some pigs like a bath, but on the whole mine don't really, so I make it as quick as possible. A firm grip is advisable as they tend to try to jump out or otherwise escape. Try to make sure no water gets in the nose. Good luck! I'm sure they'll feel better for it. x
 
Hi Katie i also suggest you throw out any cardboard tubes, houses etc, strip the cage down & thoroughly clean it with a suitable hutch/cage cleaner. Wash any plastic pigloos etc in hot soapy water. If they have any bedding hot wash at 60 degrees to kill off any lice eggs. Do this whilst they are drying off after their bath, pop them in their carriers or even a strong large cardboard box with hay & newspaper in.
 
If it is the Lyclear creme rinse then its is not shampoo.

the directions are to shampoo first with non conditioning shampoo. As most gorgeous guineas shampoos have conditioner I used johnsons baby shampoo. You then apply the lyclear, leave for 10 mins and then rinse.

it says to use whole bottle but I used one bottle between 2 pigs.

It says it kills the eggs too but i repeated twice a week later and week after that to be safe.

I'm tagging @ helen105281 to check on the number of applications as she is a health expert!
 
I agree with all of the above. One thing to add, please patch test the shampoo for 48 hours behind the ear.

If shampooing doesn't help you may find you need to clip the hair off. It soon grows back.
 
I never use the whole bottle either. I tend to do 1 bath a week for 3 weeks. I do just use the Lyclear though.
 
I think the instructions on the box are for a human. I have never been advised to shampoo first as far as I can remember but I can check if needed.

Am lucky that I have never needed to use it for actual lice.
 
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